{"id":25936,"date":"2018-12-11T08:53:28","date_gmt":"2018-12-11T08:53:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/12\/11\/search-called-off-for-5-marines-aboard-lost-c-130\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:34:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:34:34","slug":"search-called-off-for-5-marines-aboard-lost-c-130","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/12\/11\/search-called-off-for-5-marines-aboard-lost-c-130\/","title":{"rendered":"Search called off for 5 Marines aboard lost KC-130"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The search for a Marine Corps KC-130 <\/a>and its five missing crew members<\/a> has been called off after days of intense rescue operations<\/a> over a wide swath of deep waters off the coast of Japan failed to locate the aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Marine Corps has pronounced the five crew members deceased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have made the determination to end the search and rescue operations for the crew of our KC-130J aircraft which was involved in a mishap off the southern coast of Japan and to declare that these Marine warriors are deceased,” Lt. Gen. Eric M. Smith, III Marine Expeditionary Force commander, said in an announcement Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery possible effort was made to recover our crew and I hope the families of these selfless Americans will find comfort in the incredible efforts made by U.S., Japanese, and Australian forces during the search,” Smith said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The KC-130\u2032s flight data and cockpit voice recorders have still not been located, \u201cmaking it premature to speculate about wreckage recovery,\u201d Smith added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aircraft was assigned to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, and held the call sign \u201cSumo.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll of us in the Sumo family are extremely saddened following the announcement of the conclusion of search and rescue operations,\u201d Marine Corps Lt. Col. Mitchell T. Maury, commanding officer of VMGR-152, said. \u201cWe know this difficult decision was made after all resources were exhausted in the vigorous search for our Marines.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
U.S. Marine Corps Master Sgt. Brian Walker, the aviation technician chief with Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 242, oversees his Marines as they finish maintaining an F\/A-18D Hornet at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Oct. 27, 2017. An aviation technician\u2019s, also known as a maintainer, job is to secure the well-being of their pilots by ensuring the functionality of the F\/A-18D . (U.S. Marine Corps\/Lance Cpl. Gabriela Garcia-Herrera)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The next-of-kin for the five deceased Marines have been notified. Their identities will be provided within roughly 24 hours, officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is with a heavy heart that we have shifted to recovery operations,\u201d said Air Force Lt. Gen. Jerry Martinez, U.S. Forces Japan commander. \u201cI ask that you please keep the families and friends of these Marines in your thoughts during this incredibly difficult time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both the KC-130J and a Marine Corps F\/A-18D Hornet <\/a>crashed Dec. 6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two aircraft were conducting regularly-scheduled training when the mishap occurred. However, it has not been confirmed that aerial refuelling was ongoing at the time of the accident, Marine officials cautioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martinez said the mishap would be \u201cthoroughly investigated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t